The guts of the SCD55 include a four-mode autoexposure for shooting in just about any situation. Additionally, you also get six built-in digital effects for adding a little flair to your movie. With the 1-lux minimum illumination you'll be able to shoot in a number of low-light conditions without losing video quality. Included in the package are a lithium-ion battery, AC adapter, AC cord, A/V cable, and two AA batteries.

Product Description
Samsung's SCD55 mini DV camcorder is designed for easy video making with a 2.5" TFT LCD color monitor for framing, zooming and playback of home video recordings. The mini DV video system, combined with the digital image stabilization system, provides a crystal clear, steady picture image. Many user-convenience features are included to make your recording easier and more enjoyable. For quality, performance and reliability in a feature-packed camcorder, the Samsung SCD55 is the perfect choice.

Be sure to do your homework before deciding to buy this camera. If you want a comparable camera get a panasonic dv51 which in similar in price. I'd stay away from this one....


Great Camcorder for a Great Price   August 7, 2001
I really like this camcorder. It was smaller than I expected which is a bonus. The picture quality is great, and unlike the other reviewer I found the indoor quality to be good despite my somewhat unlit apartment. It took me some time to figure our why the time and date stamp reset itself each time I turned it off. I soon realized that it had an internal lithium battery that had to be charged for 24 hours. Finally, the camcorder does not have all the special effects that I have seen on other camcorders, but I would not use them anyway. Essentially this camcorder is for those who dont want to pay for frills, but want a quality practical camcorder. Perfect for me!


....   July 29, 2001
 13 out of 14 found this review helpful

I have studied for more than 2 months about ...digital camcorders and I finally found the one for me. That is SCD55.

It is very compact and rugged also. There are no more special features than really nescessary for beginners/intermediate users. It has 680 K pixel CCD, digital stabilization, 20x optical zoon and total 440x zoom (including digital), some special effects, photo mode to take digital pictures (though the resolution is not that good) and so on. Also connection to the PC with firewire (or i.link) is so easy that anyone can do that.

If I really have to mention the cons, the battery life is relatively short (50 min). However even this would be long enough for casual users for sure.

....I strongly recommend this product.


Poor performance in low light situations   July 28, 2001
 12 out of 14 found this review helpful

I'm afraid I had to send mine back because it didn't do well in low light. The owner's manual recommends a camcorder light for all indoor settings, and specifies that a light is required for anything darker than an office with fluorescent lights, or a room lit by fluorescent light. I found this to be true, and the camcorder would not work at all indoors unless there was plenty of light. Since I sometimes use my camcorder for museums and other indoor settings, it just wasn't appropriate for my needs. When I called the Samsung help line to make sure I wasn't just doing something wrong, they explained that this was just a limitation of this model.

Other than this limitation, it's a good product with lots of nice features for a great price. It was easy to hook up and run, and the sound was good. It's compact and solid-feeling. I gave it two stars based strictly on the fact I had to return mine because of the lighting needs.